Sir Wayne Smith has flown in to help the All Blacks as they attempt to end their Wellington hoodoo by beating the Wallabies in their final game of the Rugby Championship.
The former All Blacks and Black Ferns guru is spending the week in camp with the team and will help Scott Robertson’s men prepare for their second Bledisloe Cup test at a sold-out Sky Stadium on Saturday night.
The All Blacks have already locked up the Bledisloe Cup for another year after holding on to beat the Wallabies 31-28 in Sydney last weekend but it was a lot closer than it should have been after leading 21-0 inside the first 15 minutes.
Smith was the mastermind behind the Black Ferns’ Rugby World Cup triumph in 2022 and his expertise will no doubt be beneficial as the new All Blacks coaching team desperately seek a solution to their final quarter woes.
The All Blacks have failed to score a single point in the last 20 minutes in each of their five Rugby Championship matches this year.
That is a key area they must improve if they are to end their six-game winless run in Wellington.
Smith was last year appointed to a new role as New Zealand Rugby performance coach, which will include providing mentorship and support to All Blacks and Black Ferns head coaches Robertson and Allan Bunting.
Assistant Jason Holland said he was excited to have a coach of Smith’s wisdom on the ground at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport in Upper Hutt.
Giving the All Blacks extra incentive to put in an improved showing in Wellington, former captain Sam Cane and TJ Perenara will both play their final tests on New Zealand soil on Saturday night.
Although it’s unlikely they will make wholesale changes given how close the Wallabies pushed them in Sydney, the All Blacks will be forced to make at least one change for Saturday with second-five Jordie Barrett ruled out after suffering a knee injury.
The All Blacks were still awaiting the results of scans to determine the severity of the damage but Holland said he wasn’t able to train this week, giving him no hope of playing.
Bledisloe II will kickoff at 7.05pm Saturday at the Cake Tin.
[Source: stuff.co.nz]
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations
